Survey: 86% of Consumers Express Concerns About Tariffs

By: M. Scott Morris
Published: July 30th, 2025

More than 85% of U.S. consumers are concerned about the effects tariffs will have on their lives, according to Numerator's Tariff Sentiment Tracker, which provides updates on consumers' tariff perspectives based on a custom survey fielded to 5,000 U.S. consumers on a bi-weekly basis. Key stats include:

• 86% of consumers are concerned about the impact of tariffs on their personal finances, 61% of consumers are worried about higher prices on everyday goods, 57% are worried about general inflation, 47% are worried about higher prices on nonessential items, and 43% of U.S. consumers are concerned about the limited availability of certain products.
• 77% of respondents are concerned about the possibility of a recession in the coming year.
• 71% of consumers say they are aware of new or proposed tariffs on goods imported into the U.S.
• 81% of consumers say they understand what tariffs are and how they impact prices.
• 43% oppose tariffs, 29% support, and 28% feel neutral.
• 27% of U.S. consumers say tariffs will have a positive impact on the nation's economy, 58% believe they will have a negative effect.
• 81% of U.S. consumers expect to adjust their finances or shopping habits in response to the tariffs. Consumers say they are most likely to cut back spending on nonessentials (45%), look for sales or coupons to offset price increases (41%), delay nonessential or big-ticket purchases (30%), switch to lower-priced retailers or discount stores (29%), and buy fewer imported goods (28%).
• 10% of U.S. consumers say they have no concerns regarding tariffs, and 8% do not expect to make any changes as a response to tariffs.

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